The Discipline of Study

Intro

He that studies only men, will get the body of knowledge without the soul; and eh that studies only books, the soul without the body. He that to what he sees, adds observation, and to what he reads, reflection, is in the right road to knowledge, provided that in scrutinizing the hearts of others, he neglects not his own.

How do you transform yourself?

How can you be transformed by God?

Romans 12:2 NRSV

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

“They (spiritual disciplines) aim at replacing old destructive habits of thought with new life-giving habits.” We have to change our hearts in order to be totally changed.

Philippians 4:8 NRSV

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Is your mind different than how it was when you first obeyed the Gospel?

Have you matured mentally within the last year?

“Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties, and still they are not changed.”

John 8:32 NRSV

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

“Good feelings will not free us. Ecstatic experiences will not free us. Getting “high on Jesus will not free us. Without a knowledge of the truth, we will not be free.”

We must be a people willing to study if we want to be changed. If we want to be free from who we are currently and set in the mold of what God would have us to be, we must study!

What is Study?

What does it mean to study?

Deuteronomy 11:18 NRSV

18 You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.

The Israelites were told to put the law in places that they would regularly see and to always keep it with them.

“The purpose of this instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain modes of thought about God and human relationships.”

“The purpose of this instruction is to direct the mind repeatedly and regularly toward certain modes of thought about God and human relationships.”

Do we do the same today?

What are some ways in which we could do the same?

“What we study determines the kind of habits that are formed, which is why Paul urges us to focus on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious.”

Four Steps

Repetition

“Repetition regularly channels the ind in a specific direction, thus ingraining habits of thought.”

Rehearsal of the deeds of God.

Ex. “Video from the movie Help “You is smart, kind, important””

Personal affirmations, even if untrue have been proven to work.

This is also another reason why we want to be careful of the repetition of TV. What we consistently put in our hearts matters.

Concentration

“Concentration centers the mind. It focuses the attention on what is being studied.”

What things are we able to take in with our senses as human beings?

sound, taste, hear, sight, touch

“We live in a culture that does not value concentration Distraction is the order of the day.”

How can we concentrate on God and His word?

We must find a way to concentrate if we want to be effective in study.

Comprehension

John 8:32 NRSV

32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The truth by itself will not set you free, you must have knowledge of the truth.

to know (experientially) v. — to know or have knowledge about (someone or something); normally as acquired through observation or the senses.

“All of us have had the experience of reading something over and over and then, all of a sudden we understand what it means. This “eureka” experience of understanding catapults us onto a new level of growth and freedom.”

Reflection

“Although comprehension defines what we are studying, reflection defines the significance of what we are studying.”

“Reflection brings us to see things from God’s perspective. In reflection we come to understand not only our subject matter, but ourselves.”

What is humility?

“…study demands humility. Study simply cannot happen until we are willing to be subject to the subject matter.”

Is knowledge the accumulation of information?

John 17:3 NRSV

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

As mentioned earlier, this knowledge is experientially based.

Now that we know how to study, let us consider how to implement it in our lives.

Study of Books

For those who have had the tortuous pleasure of learning to type you understand that there are thousands of details to remember. But once practiced and made into habit it becomes second nature.

Used this illustration in conjunction with a keyboard learning video on YouTube. Make sure it is as vague and confusing as possible to make those folks remember how hard it was to begin with but with practice it became easy.

“Most people assume that because they know how to read words they know how to study.”

Some Steps To Consider To Study Books

Understanding the Book

What is the author saying?

Interpreting the Book

What does the author mean?

Evaluating the Book

Is the author right or wrong?

But that’s not all!

Experience

What is experience?

“Experience is the only way we can interpret and relate to what we read.”

“We read a book on tragedy with different eyes when we have walked through the valley of the shadow ourselves.” Experience that has been understood and reflected upon informs and enlightens our study.”

How can we add experience to our study of books?

Personal Experiences

Dictionaries

Commentaries

Interpretive Literature

OT/NT (in order to understand other books)

I is going to be hard to understand Romans or Hebrews without a good understanding of the OT.

Psalm 119:9 NRSV

9 How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

Psalm 119:11 NRSV

11 I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.

The most important book we can read is the Bible.

Studying Scripture Vs Devotional Reading of Scripture

What is the difference?

Study of Scripture: Interpretation (What it means)

Devotional Reading: Application (What it means for me)

We must be determined to hear what the author is saying , not what we want them to say.

What Should You Study?

This will depend entirely on what you need!

One good place to start is reading large portions of scripture. Whole books can get you accustomed to what the author is saying and how it can be transformative for your life.

Do not neglect experiential classics in Christian literature.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law

Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster

Things That Matter by Michael R. Reed and Jeffrey Peterson

Simply Jesus by N.T. Wright

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Cost of Discipleship: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Study of Nonverbal “Books”

Isaiah 55:12 NRSV

12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

“Watch, for example, how much of our speech is aimed at justifying our actions.”

“We should become attentive to the ordinary relationships we encounter throughout the day: at home, work, school.”

“…one of the principal objects of our study should be ourselves. We should learn the things that control us.”

“Know thyself” ~Socrates

“Let’s look at the values of the culture-not what people say they are, but what they actually are.”